CHAPTER 282: CHAPTER 282: QUITE AN IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY

Seven o’clock sharp in the evening.

"Sister Hui, Sang Ning should be arriving any moment now. Why don’t you wait in the back of the private room?"

Qingyue was afraid Sang Ning might turn around and leave immediately upon seeing someone other than him in the room, so he suggested that Duan Wenhu temporarily step out.

"No need." Duan Wenhu casually replied while elegantly removing the luxurious silk scarf tied around her neck.

From what Qingyue had told her, Sang Ning was a girl with quite the temper and didn’t show much respect for her, despite her status as a powerful backer.

She wanted to see for herself whether Sang Ning could still hold her head high when faced with her in person.

But the appointed time had already arrived, and Sang Ning was still nowhere to be seen.

Duan Wenhu glanced at her watch with visible displeasure. "It’s already time. Why hasn’t Sang Ning arrived yet? Do celebrities these days have no sense of punctuality?"

"Sister Hui, this is the peak traffic hour downtown. Sang Ning might have been delayed on the road. Let’s wait a bit more; she should be here soon." Qingyue hurriedly rose to pour Duan Wenhu another cup of tea, already starting to worry that Sang Ning might bail on him.

If she really did, Duan Wenhu was bound to lose her temper, and Qingyue would have to figure out how to calm her down.

After refilling the tea, Qingyue hesitated and finally decided to call Sang Ning to double-check.

"Sang Ning, the appointed time has already passed. Are you planning to flake on us?" Qingyue opened with a direct accusation as soon as the call connected.

Sang Ning’s voice on the other end was indifferent and nonchalant. "Qingyue, please get your facts straight. You’re the one begging for this meeting, not me. What position are you in to demand my punctuality? I’m just a few minutes late. If you truly can’t wait, I can turn around and head home right now."

"No—"

Qingyue panicked, but he couldn’t afford to let Sang Ning catch on. Quickly regaining his composure, he adopted a threatening tone instead.

"Sang Ning, don’t you care about Shen Yi’s future? Are you prepared to let him be utterly ruined this very instant?"

What followed was a mocking laugh from Sang Ning. "Qingyue, let me be clear: I don’t even care much about my own parents’ survival. Why do you think Shen Yi’s fate would matter to me? Helping him is kindness; not helping him is my right."

As Sang Ning said this, she silently added in her heart: I’m talking about the parents I once had in the Chu Family.

Qingyue was left speechless. Using Shen Yi as a bargaining chip only worked if Sang Ning cared. The possibility she might be indifferent to Shen Yi had always been his biggest fear.

He’d chosen this tactic because he was convinced Sang Ning truly saw Shen Yi as a friend—otherwise, she wouldn’t have helped him fend off trouble back in the green room.

But now it seemed their so-called friendship might not be as strong as he had thought.

Realizing threats wouldn’t work, Qingyue softened his tone. "Fine. I don’t have anything urgent tonight anyway. Waiting is no issue; just tell me, approximately how much longer will you be? I’d like to have some idea."

Sang Ning paused, seemingly deliberating. After a while, she slowly replied, "A conservative estimate would be an hour."

"An hour!" Qingyue nearly exploded. To be an entire hour late—why didn’t Sang Ning go rule the heavens at this rate?

"What? An hour is too long for you?" Sang Ning sounded annoyed. "If you can’t wait, then forget it."

Sang Ning didn’t know what Qingyue was up to, but deliberately wearing down his patience and frustrating him delighted her.

"Fine, one hour it is! But you better not go back on your word this time!" Qingyue ground his teeth in frustration.

After hanging up, Qingyue looked at Duan Wenhu and noticed her face had darkened. His heart sank, and anxiety bubbled up. "Sister Hui, Sang Ning says she might need another hour."

Duan Wenhu pinched the bridge of her nose, her tone slightly irritated. "I heard her; I’m not deaf."

Qingyue had left the call on speaker so Duan Wenhu could hear Sang Ning’s updates directly.

No need for Qingyue to relay anything—Duan Wenhu already knew exactly what had transpired.

"She’s quite something, isn’t she? Acting like such a big shot. I’d like to see if she can still be this arrogant later." Duan Wenhu released her hold, her lips pursed into a sneer, the malice in her eyes implicit but unmistakable.

Sang Ning said they should wait an hour, and they truly didn’t see her during that hour. Both Qingyue and Duan Wenhu grew increasingly restless as the minutes ticked by.

One hour later, Sang Ning still hadn’t arrived. Qingyue felt his patience stretched to the limit. He called her again.

"Sang Ning, it’s been an hour already—why aren’t you here yet? Pulling stunts like this is simply too much!" Qingyue was barely holding his anger back, the veins on his hand bulging as he gripped his phone tightly, nearly crushing it.

"I’ve thought it over carefully. Frankly speaking, tonight’s meeting feels entirely unnecessary, so I’ve already gone home. I forgot to inform you earlier—sorry about that." Although it was an apology, Sang Ning’s tone betrayed no sincerity, instead dripping with teasing mockery.

"Sang Ning—!" Qingyue’s voice suddenly sharpened, and he felt his bloodstream rush to his head, nearly boiling over with rage.

When he called her an hour ago, the background noise of her call had been chaotic and unmistakably from the streets.

But now, the phone background was eerily quiet. He had every reason to believe Sang Ning had deliberately played him.

Duan Wenhu’s expression wasn’t any better; she had wasted the entire evening with Qingyue, only for Sang Ning to stand them up!

Just as Qingyue and Duan Wenhu simmered in fury, the door to their private room suddenly flew open with a loud kick. A bold voice rang out from the doorway: "Your daddy is here—why are you calling for him?"

Both Qingyue and Duan Wenhu turned toward the voice. Standing at the entrance was Sang Ning, phone in one hand and the other hand casually tucked into her pocket, her lips twisted into a disdainful smirk.

"My sincerest apologies, dear guests—it seems we didn’t provide proper guidance." A young female server emerged from behind Sang Ning, bowing apologetically to the room’s occupants. She hadn’t expected to be escorting such a brash guest.

"This isn’t your concern. You may leave now." Duan Wenhu gestured for the server to withdraw. "Close the door on your way out."

Duan Wenhu didn’t want any outsiders present while they dealt with Sang Ning. As long as Sang Ning had arrived, everything else could be handled—any tricks Sang Ning had pulled, Duan Wenhu intended to return with interest.

Sang Ning stepped further into the room, and the server discreetly shut the door behind her.

"Well, well, Sister Hui’s here too? Qingyue, you really went all out—inviting such distinguished company just for dinner." Sang Ning commented as she strode directly toward Duan Wenhu.

The two people in the room were caught off guard by her bold demeanor; their anger dissipated momentarily, replaced by confusion.

As if she owned the place, Sang Ning walked up to Duan Wenhu and casually sat down in the chair beside her.

Duan Wenhu glanced at Sang Ning, her brow slightly furrowed. "You know me?"